Bill & Melinda Gates’ most recent Annual Letter outlines the critical need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions if we want to tackle climate change. And they're right!
Guess what one of the most effective solutions for that is? Protecting the world's forests.
Protecting the threatened forests of the world is ESSENTIAL if we want to solve the problem of climate change and if we want to protect our planet for future generations. Plain and simple.
We won't win this battle unless we do.
“It is very simple: we must save our forests, for there is no Plan B to tackle climate change or many of the other critical challenges that face humanity without them.” -Prince Charles
In Bill’s half of the letter, he explains that “Scientists say that to avoid dramatic long-term changes to the climate, the world must cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80 percent by 2050, and eliminate them entirely by the end of the century.”
That’s a lot of CO2. And time is not on our side.
My point? We need to do something about this right now.
The task seems intimidating for sure and we agree with Bill that an energy miracle is needed. But while we’re figuring out alternatives to energy, there is something we can do to reduce unavoidable emissions TODAY.
The solution? PROTECTING OUR FORESTS.
Why?? Because when you protect a forest, you reduce CO2 emissions in the atmosphere. And when forests are left standing, they STORE carbon, produce oxygen, provide habitat, and support local communities. Win-win-win-win situation right there.
As we know, climate change is one of the most critical issues facing humankind, and deforestation (the clearing of forests on a massive scale) plays a significant role - accounting for nearly 15% of the annual greenhouse gas emissions, pumping more CO2 into our atmosphere than the entire global transportation sector combined.
So if we want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions immediately, the solution is simple: keep our forests standing.